Gujarat ranks poor 12th of 21 states in gender vulnerability: "Failure" to protect women from sexual violence

By Jag Jivan
Even as Gujarat goes to polls, a high-profile NGO Plan India’s new Gender Vulnerability Index (GVI) has found that the model state is behind 11 out of 21 major Indian states. On a scale of 1, Gujarat GVI is 0.543. The best GVI is that of Kerala (0.634), and worst that of Bihar (0.41).
Associated with Plan International, a UK-based NGO, while the Plan India’s 100-page report does not say why Gujarat, despite being a “developed state”, ranks No 12th among 21 major states, the data do suggest that this is mainly because of its lag in the social sector, on one hand, and providing “protection and safety of girls and women”, on the other.

Providing four different dimensions to calculate the overall GVI, protection, education, health, poverty, the report says, the goals is to “identify broadly the challenges which the respective states face” on the basis of “the priorities established” by each of them, and whether these have led to “balanced and inclusive development”.
Thus, in the poverty dimension of GVI, Gujarat’s ranking is quite good, fifth out of 21 major states. In fact, it is behind just four states – Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra. But when it comes to two main social indicators, education and health, Gujarat is behind 10 and 11 states, ranking 11th and 12th respectively.

It is the protection dimension which appears to have pulled down Gujarat’s overall ranking. In the protection dimension, which includes sex discrimination and violence, Gujarat’s overall GVI (0.561), and is better than only five states out of 21 – Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh.
Plan India recognizes that this dimension of GVI is important because “abuse and the threat of violence are an insult to one’s personal welfare and humanity”, and “these behaviours are not always predicted by a household’s socioeconomic identity and are not likely to end anytime soon.”

Calling it at the heart of its GVI analysis, Plan India says, discrimination in India “starts at the womb and persists throughout her life”, adding, “Girls and women, for every year of their lives, are exposed to specific forms of gender based discrimination which disempowers them and widens the gender divide.”
It adds, “Violence, abuse, neglect are the most brutal suppressions of freedom. Women are vulnerable even before their birth and formative years to female feticide and infanticide. As they grow older, they are at risk of human trafficking, physical and sexual abuse and neglect, and this continues in the form of marital and domestic abuse, dowry harassment and desertion.”

Pointing out that in India, “while the male child is an investment, the girl child is a burden”, the report says, this is proved by the fact that “today, more than 1 out of 4 girls are married before the age of 18, and 1 out of 5 boys are married before the age of 21.”
“Although the incidence of child marriage has fallen significantly in the last two decades, it is still persistent and intergenerational because of the strong social stigma surrounding unmarried girls, preservation of her chastity and as means of protection from sexual violence”, the report says.
It adds, “Crimes against women and children, for instance, reveal how the justice system responds to current crises. Protection is one of the most complex features and in order to allow for children and women to flourish, improvements in their personal wellbeing by protecting their rights is necessary.”

Comments

Gram sabha as reformer: Mandla’s quiet challenge to the liquor economy

By Raj Kumar Sinha* This year, the Union Ministry of Panchayati Raj is organising a two-day PESA Mahotsav in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, on 23–24 December 2025. The event marks the passage of the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 (PESA), enacted by Parliament on 24 December 1996 to establish self-governance in Fifth Schedule areas. Scheduled Areas are those notified by the President of India under Article 244(1) read with the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution, which provides for a distinct framework of governance recognising the autonomy of tribal regions. At present, Fifth Schedule areas exist in ten states: Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan and Telangana. The PESA Act, 1996 empowers Gram Sabhas—the village assemblies—as the foundation of self-rule in these areas. Among the many powers devolved to them is the authority to take decisions on local matters, including the regulation...

MG-NREGA: A global model still waiting to be fully implemented

By Bharat Dogra When the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MG-NREGA) was introduced in India nearly two decades ago, it drew worldwide attention. The reason was evident. At a time when states across much of the world were retreating from responsibility for livelihoods and welfare, the world’s second most populous country—with nearly two-thirds of its people living in rural or semi-rural areas—committed itself to guaranteeing 100 days of employment a year to its rural population.

A comrade in culture and controversy: Yao Wenyuan’s revolutionary legacy

By Harsh Thakor* This year marks two important anniversaries in Chinese revolutionary history—the 20th death anniversary of Yao Wenyuan, and the 50th anniversary of his seminal essay "On the Social Basis of the Lin Biao Anti-Party Clique". These milestones invite reflection on the man whose pen ignited the first sparks of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution and whose sharp ideological interventions left an indelible imprint on the political and cultural landscape of socialist China.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

Concerns raised over move to rename MGNREGA, critics call it politically motivated

By A Representative Concerns have been raised over the Union government’s reported move to rename the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), with critics describing it as a politically motivated step rather than an administrative reform. They argue that the proposed change undermines the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi and seeks to appropriate credit for a programme whose relevance has been repeatedly demonstrated, particularly during times of crisis.

Rollback of right to work? VB–GRAM G Bill 'dilutes' statutory employment guarantee

By A Representative The Right to Food Campaign has strongly condemned the passage of the Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB–GRAM G) Bill, 2025, describing it as a major rollback of workers’ rights and a fundamental dilution of the statutory Right to Work guaranteed under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). In a statement, the Campaign termed the repeal of MGNREGA a “dark day for workers’ rights” and accused the government of converting a legally enforceable, demand-based employment guarantee into a centralised, discretionary welfare scheme.

Making rigid distinctions between Indian and foreign 'historically untenable'

By A Representative Oral historian, filmmaker and cultural conservationist Sohail Hashmi has said that everyday practices related to attire, food and architecture in India reflect long histories of interaction and adaptation rather than rigid or exclusionary ideas of identity. He was speaking at a webinar organised by the Indian History Forum (IHF).

India’s Halal economy 'faces an uncertain future' under the new food Bill

By Syed Ali Mujtaba* The proposed Food Safety and Standards (Amendment) Bill, 2025 marks a decisive shift in India’s food regulation landscape by seeking to place Halal certification exclusively under government control while criminalising all private Halal certification bodies. Although the Bill claims to promote “transparency” and “standardisation,” its structure and implications raise serious concerns about religious freedom, economic marginalisation, and the systematic dismantling of a long-established, Muslim-led Halal ecosystem in India.

From jobless to ‘job-loss’ growth: Experts critique gig economy and fintech risks

By A Representative Leading economists and social activists gathered in the capital on Friday to launch the third edition of the State of Finance in India Report 2024-25 , issuing a stark warning that the rapid digitalization of the Indian economy is eroding welfare systems and entrenching "digital dystopia."

Search This Blog